Lumacaftor (VX-809) is an investigational drug developed by the Massachusetts-based pharmaceutical company Vertex for the treatment of patients who suffer from cystic fibrosis (CF) and have the F508del mutation in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). Currently, lumacaftor is approved by the U.S. FDA as a combined oral treatment for CF in combination with Kalydeco (ivacaftor). Lumacaftor is commercialized by Vertex under the brand name Orkambi, and Kalydeco was approved in the United States in 2012. The lumacaftor/Kalydeco combo was approved by the FDA in July 2015 for patients ages 12 and older, while the use of lumacaftor alone is still being studied by Vertex. The mechanism of action of lumacaftor is based on the interference with the F508 CFTR. The chronic disease is caused by a mutation in the gene that controls the salt transportation in the cells, resulting in thick, sticky mucus in the respiratory, digestive, and reproductive systems. To address that genetic defect, lumacaftor helps correct the mutated genes with a novel therapeutic approach. Both lumicaftor and kalydeco work by correcting the misfolded CFTR protein, the root cause of the F508del mutation, which led to the approval of the combined treatment by the FDA. However, while kalydeco alone is also approved by the FDA, the use of lumacftor alone has not yet been approved.

Abiraterone acetate (trade name Zytiga) is a prodrug to the abiraterone, steroidal compound with antiandrogen activity and a 17 α-hydroxylase/C17,20-lyase (CYP17) inhibitor. It is indicated in combination with prednisone for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Abiraterone acetate is converted in vivo to abiraterone which inhibits CYP17, enzyme expressed in testicular, adrenal, and prostatic tumor tissues and required for androgen biosynthesis. Administration of this agent may suppress testosterone production by both the testes and the adrenals to castrate-range levels. Androgen sensitive prostatic carcinoma responds to treatment that decreases androgen levels. Androgen deprivation therapies, such as treatment with GnRH agonists or orchiectomy, decrease androgen production in the testes but do not affect androgen production by the adrenals or in the tumor.

Isradipine (tradenames DynaCirc, Prescal) is a calcium channel blocker of the dihydropyridine class. It is usually prescribed for the treatment of high blood pressure in order to reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack. Except for diuretic activity, the mechanism of which is not clearly understood, the pharmacodynamics effects of isradipine observed in whole animals can also be explained by calcium channel blocking activity, especially dilating effects in arterioles, which reduce systemic resistance and lower blood pressure, with a small increase in resting heart rate. Isradipine binds to calcium channels with high affinity and specificity and inhibits calcium flux into cardiac and arterial smooth muscle cells. It exhibits greater selectivity towards arterial smooth muscle cells owing to alternative splicing of the alpha-1 subunit of the channel and increased prevalence of inactive channels in smooth muscle cells. Although like other dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers, isradipine has negative inotropic effects in vitro; studies conducted in intact anesthetized animals have shown that the vasodilating effect occurs at doses lower than those do which affect contractility. In patients with normal ventricular function, isradipine's afterload reducing properties lead to some increase in cardiac output. Effects in patients with impaired ventricular function have not been fully studied. Most adverse reactions were mild and related to the vasodilatory effects of isradipine (dizziness, edema, palpitations, flushing, tachycardia), and many were transient. About 5% of isradipine patients left studies prematurely because of adverse reactions (vs. 3% of placebo patients and 6% of active control patients), principally due to headache, edema, dizziness, palpitations, and gastrointestinal disturbances.

Nicardipine is a potent calcium channel blockader with marked vasodilator action used to treat high blood pressure and angina. By deforming the channel, inhibiting ion-control gating mechanisms, and/or interfering with the release of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, nicardipine inhibits the influx of extracellular calcium across the myocardial and vascular smooth muscle cell membranes The decrease in intracellular calcium inhibits the contractile processes of the myocardial smooth muscle cells, causing dilation of the coronary and systemic arteries, increased oxygen delivery to the myocardial tissue, decreased total peripheral resistance, decreased systemic blood pressure, and decreased afterload.

Amlodipine is a dihydropyridine calcium antagonist (calcium ion antagonist or slow-channel blocker) that inhibits the transmembrane influx of calcium ions into vascular smooth muscle and cardiac muscle. Experimental data suggest that amlodipine binds to both dihydropyridine and nondihydropyridine binding sites. The contractile processes of cardiac muscle and vascular smooth muscle are dependent upon the movement of extracellular calcium ions into these cells through specific ion channels. Amlodipine inhibits calcium ion influx across cell membranes selectively, with a greater effect on vascular mooth muscle cells than on cardiac muscle cells. Amlodipine is indicated for the treatment of hypertension and coronary artery disease.

Trimethoprim (TMP) is an antibiotic is used for the treatment of initial episodes of uncomplicated urinary tract infections due to susceptible strains of the following organisms: Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter species, and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species, including S. saprophyticus. Cultures and susceptibility tests should be performed to determine the susceptibility of the bacteria to trimethoprim. Therapy may be initiated prior to obtaining the results of these tests. Trimethoprim is rapidly absorbed following oral administration. It exists in the blood as unbound, protein-bound, and metabolized forms. Ten to twenty percent of trimethoprim is metabolized, primarily in the liver; the remainder is excreted unchanged in the urine. The principal metabolites of trimethoprim are the 1- and 3-oxides and the 3'- and 4'-hydroxy derivatives. The free form is considered to be the therapeutically active form. Approximately 44% of trimethoprim is bound to plasma proteins. Trimethoprim blocks the production of tetrahydrofolic acid from dihydrofolic acid by binding to and reversibly inhibiting the required enzyme, dihydrofolate reductase. This binding is very much stronger for the bacterial enzyme than for the corresponding mammalian enzyme